Destin Sur Epreuve
by BrambleclawIsMyHomeboy12
Summary: The third and final part of The Sketchbook trilogy. Sorry for the long wait! Enjoy, please R
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) This is the third and final part of the trilogy! Finally got it posted, hope you enjoy, will post next chapter soon. Please R&R. Don't own saga**

Darren had been constantly busy, learning how to maneuver himself around Vampire Mountain, without getting lost, and working on his fighting skills. He was retiring to his room at the moment, stumbling down the hallway after a long day of physical strain.

He pushed open the small wooden door, and saw that Harkat was not in there. He must be doing something; little people didn't need as much sleep as vampires or humans. It didn't really bother Darren, he just went over to his hammock, and was about to flop down onto it, when something caught his eye.

Sitting on the far table was a thick book. The cover was dark leather set in between thick gold bands on the outside, with a silver clasp holding it together. Darren pulled the note off the top and read the message scrawled in messy handwriting.

_Darren,_

_I knew that you liked the pictures that I drew, when you looked at them a couple of weeks ago. I thought you had seen all of them, until I found this. It has a lot of older drawings, but I have added a few recently that I had forgotten about. Hope you like them._

_ Gavner Purl_

Darren was surprised, but incredibly happy. He had loved Gavner's drawings when he had looked at them, and had been sad when he thought that was all of them. Being carful no tot break the bindings on the older book, Darren pulled it open to the first page.

Like all the others it had a black label written across the top of the page. "Moonlight Waltzing" All through the picture were vampire couples. Granted there were only about ten, given the small number of female vampires to start with. Darren saw no one he knew until he looked very closely at the couple in the middle of the page. It was Arra and Mr. Crepsley. They were much younger; they only looked about twenty human years old. They were smiling, dancing together in their best clothes, Mr. Crepsley's a brilliant red, and Arra's a black dress. Darren was, by no means, romantic, but the picture was very sweet, it was nice to see Mr. Crepsley so young.

He flipped the page. "Our Mentors" was the name of this one. It was Seba Nile, dressed is his usual red, but his hair was darker, and he looked about twenty years younger. He was standing next to Patrick Goulder. The dark haired vampire was smiling, as he was in all the pictures Darren had ever seen of him, and he was dressed in a black dress suit. The third person in the picture was Vanez Blane, clad in green, with his one good eye looking toward Seba in a thoughtful expression. Darren had no idea what they were talking about.

The third page of the old book was Gavner and Arra. "I Got Drenched" was the name of the picture. Gavner was facing forward, while Arra was standing behind him with a bucket of water, ready to douse the general over the head. Darren laughed, looking at the completely innocent and unknowing look on the burly general's face. Darren could imagine him being drenched in the water like one of those sports coaches at the Super Bowl.

The fourth picture boar the title, "A Fight To Remember", it was Kurda and Mr. Crepsley, standing in the hall of Sport. They were engaged in hand-to-hand combat, something that reminded Darren of karate. Kurda was losing, the look on his face, and the position his arms were in gave it away. Arra was in the background, rolling her eyes at the pair of them, as Mr. Crepsley pummeled Kurda.

The Fifth picture Darren saw was that of Seba and Vanez. It was labeled, "A Friendly Fight", the title made sense once Darren took a closer look at the picture. Seba and Vanez were both standing on the bars, holding long staffs, facing each other in fighting stances. It was weird for Darren to see Seba fighting, the elderly vampire seemed more of a grandpa than anything, so seeing him fight Vanez was interesting, and Darren couldn't help but wonder who ended up winning that fight.

Darren snapped the book shut. As much as he enjoyed looking at these pictures, fatigue was fighting with his brain, and making it hard to concentrate. He set the book back down on the table, determined to keep looking at it tomorrow, and then collapsed into his hammock, unable to stay awake any longer.


	2. Chapter 2

Darren woke up the next morning, groggy and unable to remember what was going on. Until he glanced at the table and saw the whethered book of drawings. He wasn't a "morning person", but the thought of being able to see more of the pictures had him excited, so for once he got up without complaint. Harkat was gone, so Daren could look at the pictures in private.

He grabbed the book off the table and skipped through the first five pages until he found what he was looking for. The next picture in the book.

"Drinking; Not The Smartest Thing To Do" was written at the top of the page. Darren burst out laughing at the ridiculous picture. Gavner and Mr. Crepsley were standing on top of a table in the dinging hall, each holding a empty mug of ale. They were what looked like singing, with their mouths opened, and Mr. Crepsley had his shirt almost off, while Gavner was singing into fork.

"The New Vampire" It was a picture of Kurda on what Darren guessed was his first trip to the mountain. He was wearing a light blue, button-up and was looking at his feet. His mentor was a huge vampire with ghostly skin and a large black wrap thrown over his shoulders. Why he chose the beanpole Kurda as an assistant, Darren couldn't even begin to guess. But he also knew that Kurda was a brilliant, maybe that was the reason he became a vampire, and the same reason he was going to be a prince in a matter of months.

"This Happened Way to Many Times," was the title of the next. It was Arra and Mr. Crepsley. Mr. Crepsley had his back pressed up to one of the stone corridors while Arra had his arms wrapped around his neck and was leaning into him. They were kissing each other, each holding the other close. Darren could picture Gavner's face as he walked in on that, again and again.

The next picture was very old. The pages were yellowed on the edges and the bright colors had faded to pastel shadows of what they had been. "Patrick, the First Time I Saw Him" was the name of the picture. It was Patrick Goulder, his black suit blowing in what appeared to be a snowstorm, and next to him was Gavner, a lot younger, and nervous looking. Patrick was smiling at the younger man beside him, his chocolate brown eyes alight with laughter, not paying any attention to his companion's nerves.

"Arra's Place", it was an overview of a city. It was more of a village actually, with small buildings, and one main street that led to everywhere in town. Darren could make out the small shape of Arra as she walked along the path in the dim night light. He looked at the buildings, several of them, even though it was only a picture, looked utterly devoid of life. Only the one on the end that Arra was trudging toward had a light showing in the window. Darren didn't know where the picture took place, but it looked like a sad little place. Sad and abandoned.

"A Proposal", Darren looked at the picture. Seba stood in the background, along with Vanez, and a very confused looking Patrick. But the focal point of the picture was Mr. Crepsley and Arra. She was standing, staring at the red-haired vampire with pure shock, and happiness. Mr. Crepsley was on one knee, looking up at her with hope. Darren realized what kind of proposal this was, a marriage, or in this case, mating proposal.

"He Actually Survived" It was Mr. cRepsley, supporting himself on a door frame while vampires all around rushed to help him. He was covered in blood, with his shirt torn and his face covered in deep purple bruises. Despite all that, he had a spark in his eyes, like he had won the lottery, or the Olympics. He was battered and bruised, but he looked like he had a new life in him.

Darren softly closed the book to the sounds of voices outside. He would look at more later, when he had the chance.


End file.
